With over a hundred video game submissions this year, we are proud to announce this year's finalists in our Golden Joystick Category.

This years Categories:

Golden Joystick for Best Overall Game

Golden Joystick for Best Student Game

Golden Joystick for Best Game Design

Golden Joystick for Best Game Design Document

Golden Joystick for Fan Favorite

Game Design Document Finalists

AC Transit: Drive

All For One

Artifice

Lab Heist

Life After

Moe Bill Holmes : Redneck Detective

Rize of the Summonds

Game Submission Finalists

Interested in the contenders?

Below you will find all of this year's Golden Joystick Finalists. Make sure you come to the EXPO Hall on the 23rd to get your chance to demo their games, talk with the developers, and place your vote for the Audience Choice Award for Video Game Submissions. (Submissions appear alphabetically.)

Click image for Trailer

Axis Descending

Axis Descending is a Metroidvania Dark Souls-like where you dodge, slash and shock your way through vibrant floating islands full of engaging stories, non-linear exploration, unique creatures to hunt and tons of treasure chests full of loot! Demo Available for Windows/Mac that features the game's introduction and tons of cosmetic skins to preview

l U C A H

Office Mayhem

A competitive party game in which you and your peers compete to see who will become Employee of the Week! Step on your co-workers by completing tasks and undermining their work in a chaotic race for promotion and glory. It doesn’t matter how you reach the top, only that you get there. With a strong focus on interactivity and competition, Office Mayhem puts player agency and emergent strategy first.

PSYCHIC

PSYCHIC is a single player game that is equal parts Saturday morning cartoon and Choose-Your-Own-Adventure. Play as telepathic detective duo John Hollis and his cat sidekick Devo to search for a missing reality star who holds the cure to a deadly mind-altering Internet meme.

Shadowscrapers

Shadowscrapers is an Isometric Puzzle-Platformer currently availible for iOS and Android devices. In a world where the shadows are as solid as the objects that cast them, the player must use these shadows to navigate the rooftops of a mysterious skyscraper city.

SKY

Sky is a slow paced, atmospheric sound-explorer that allows the player to create relationships of sound, line and image by navigating an open world of clouds and constellations. These relationships unfold gradually as the player discovers constellations to identify areas and collects letters of cuneiform to develop the character.

TARTARUS

TARTARUS is a First Person game with Action-Adventure elements, set in terrifyingly dark sci-fi universe. In TARTARUS, you will play as Cooper, as you try to hack the ship's system's via using "Terminals". Hacking the ship is the real challenge. You have to use specific Terminal commands, which are very realistic, to make it work. Sometimes you have to search "Items" to get information which you need, to solve problems.

Trapped with the dolls

TwinCop

John and Will Kill were twin brothers and the best cops in the greater Twin Cities area. But they were horribly maimed in a terrible pontoon boat accident. Using the latest technology, they were rebuilt into one super cop: John Will Kill, better known as: TWINCOP. Play with a friend (two controllers necessary) to blast bad guys and cooperatively bring justice to the world!

TERMINUS Conference + Festival is a one-of-a-kind event packed with everything emerging creators in film, gaming, and interactive need to take their careers to the next level. Showcase your work, attend workshops and panels with industry leaders, and make lasting professional and creative connections at networking events, award shows, and parties. It’s the most fun you’ll have while feeding your passion to create. Learn from the best. Make connections. Join the party. June 15-17, 2018 - Atlanta, GA.